Health briefing

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Up to 160 children on arthritis list

BETWEEN 150 and 160 children with Juvenile Arthritis (JA) are waiting more than a year to see a specialist, according to Arthritis Ireland. Of those, about 30 children regarded as urgent cases face a threeto four month wait. Although there are almost 1,000 children in Ireland with JA, there is only one specialist paediatric rheumatologist – Dr Orla Killeen. Arthritis Ireland has designated September as JA month to raise awareness of the condition.

Men urged to face cancer risk for Blue September

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny will be among those involved in an initiative to be launched this morning encouraging men to face up to the risk of cancer.

The Taoiseach, in one of his first public engagements since the summer holidays, will be participating in Blue September, which was initially launched in New Zealand three years ago.

The aim of Blue September is to challenge Irish men to take note of the cancers most likely to affect them, to become increasingly aware of their health and to be more open to discussing health concerns with family or friends.

It is an established fact that men are less likely to go to the doctor and more pessimistic about their chances of recovery when faced with illness.

Prof Frank Sullivan, a consultant oncologist in University College Hospital in Galway, said there was a huge cultural difference between men and women in terms of looking after their health.

“We [men] tend as a breed to put our heads in the sand more than we should. It is known worldwide that if you want to get men into a cancer programme, you describe the programme to wives, sisters and mothers,” he said.

“For years, women have done a very good job of highlighting the issue of breast cancer and other issues.

“Our aim is to take a leaf from the Pink Ribbon campaign to define an approach that might be more appealing to men,” he added.

Key Blue September events are taking place across the country including the Dingle Marathon on Saturday and the Kilmacud 7s on September 11th

Widower sues trust over 'do not resuscitate' notes

A MAN is suing a British hospital trust over his claims that medics twice put “do not resuscitate” orders on his wife’s medical notes without her consent.

David Tracey is taking legal action following the alleged use of the orders while his wife, Janet, was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Doctors cancelled the first order after she objected to it, only to then put on a second one, he claims.

Care home manager Mrs Tracey (63) had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer but died at the hospital 16 days after breaking her neck in a car accident.

Her widower is taking action against Cambridge University Hospitals NHS trust which is responsible for Addenbrooke’s, and the Department of Health, which he claims has acted unlawfully by not having a standard policy on resuscitation decisions.

Mr Tracey told the Guardian: “My wife cared for the elderly all her life and her treatment at Addenbrooke’s caused unnecessary suffering to her, our daughters and me.”

A spokesman for Addenbrooke’s Hospital said: “We do not agree with the account given by the family, but we cannot debate the issues involved because we are subject to ongoing judicial review proceedings.

“Our clinicians followed the DNACPR policy, which remains in place,” he said.

A British Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Decisions on Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation must be clinically appropriate for the individual involved, weighing up the possible benefits of CPR against any burdens or risks associated with the treatment.”